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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-11-26 Daily Xml
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TOUR DOWN UNDER

Mr BIGNELL (Mawson) (15:27): My question is for the Minister for Tourism. Apart from attending the race, how can South Australians celebrate what promises to be the most exciting Tour Down Under to date?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:28): I thank the member for Mawson for his question. He has been a strong supporter of this event and a great campaigner for bringing Lance Armstrong to South Australia; so, I congratulate him on his great efforts coming to fruition.

Of course, aside from attending the race along the roadside, there are many ways that people could enjoy this event. Certainly, in the member for Mawson's electorate I expect them to be out along the route from Snapper Point to Willunga on Saturday 24 January. There are other ways that the public can be involved. For example, they could join the Skoda Breakaway Series.

This is the official recreational ride along the Tour Down Under route, which includes the Mutual Community Challenge Tour, presented by The Advertiser, held over stage 4 on Friday and running from Burnside to Angaston. This is a great opportunity for reasonably fit individuals to join the tour. Younger people can join the mini tour in the Mutual Community Mini Tour for Kids, which is presented by UniSA and held just prior to the Down Under Classic.

For those of you who are up to the challenge—and I am sure that the member for Mawson could manage it—the Burnside Village to Angaston leg of the race is 155 kilometres. Otherwise, one could undertake the Mount Pleasant to Angaston leg, which is 97 kilometres, or the Angaston circuit, which is a mere 32 kilometres beginning at 12 noon. That way you can participate closely.

Failing that, tickets are available for the Tour Down Under Legends' Night Dinner on 24 January. I expect these tickets to sell out soon. It is a great way to get up close to cycling legends. Australia's own Cadel Evans will be honoured at the dinner alongside Lance Armstrong and Adelaide's own Shane Kelly. Shane Kelly is a great cyclist. He has been riding competitively since the age of five and recently competed in his fifth Olympic Games in Beijing. He has twice won the Australian Cyclist of the Year award in 1992 and 1996, he was Athlete of the Year in 1995 and is a four-time world champion.

Cadel Evans is also a great Australian cyclist. He has been runner-up in the Tour de France for the past two years and was the first Australian to win the UCI ProTour season in 2007. All three legends will be interviewed onstage by cycling legends Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen. To date, over 1,500 people have confirmed their attendance at the Legends' Night Dinner. Tickets can be bought from the Tour Down Under website at www.tourdownunder.com.au and I would certainly encourage fans to get in quick for this unique chance to dine with the stars of the cycling world.

Another way of getting close to the cycling is to be a member of the Touring the Tour official sponsors' coach. This tour line event is being seen as a great way for people to get around the race route without having to drive their own cars, to be taken to the key positions at the finishes and the starts and to be at those fabulous highlights where there are hillclimbs or particular circuits and I would encourage people to be involved in the official coach party.

Two lucky travellers are in a draw daily to join Jim Jacques who is just the most phenomenal race caller, a local treasure and a legend in the cycling world. Jim Jacques' Commentary Stage allows two winners to go to the stage stand and have a priceless view of a stage finish. This is an experience that you just could not buy. Having been close up and personal at those finishes, I say that it is worth joining the Touring the Tour event just to be part of it.

So far, 610 fans have signed up for this opportunity. This is up from 269 in 2008 and just shows the impact of the Lance Armstrong ride on our local numbers. For internet-savvy fans, the TDU also has its own Facebook page and fans can check out photos, videos and make comments on what promises to be the most exciting race yet. It also has an amazing webpage where fans can get even more details on how they can get up close to the action: go to the tourdownunder.com.au website.

There are many opportunities for enthusiasts to get up close to the event and I would encourage those people who are interested to book early, check out the program and, if necessary, take the member for Mawson's advice because he knows better than anyone where the key spots for the public are. I have to say that it goes through many members' electorates—Norwood, my own electorate, Light and Morialta—and I know that many of you will be out there cheering on the squads and enjoying what is tipped to be the most exciting sporting event for 2009 in South Australia.

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